Worker loses finger, considers personal injury claim

One Southport manufacturing worker, after losing a finger in a work injury involving an industrial saw, may now be considering a personal injury claim against his employer for their role in the incident.

Darren Mawdsley, aged thirty seven, had been working at Mentha and Halsall Shopfitters Ltd, a shop fitting company, when a bit of wood became jammed in the mechanism of the circular saw he had been working upon, say accident claim experts. The man’s hand was dragged towards the rapidly spinning blade, which led to his being rushed to hospital and having his badly damaged finger amputated.

The Health and Safety Executive recently launched in investigation into the incident, which led HSE investigators to find that Mr. Mawdsley had not been given proper training on saw operation. Moreover the safety guard for the machine was found not equipped on the machine but lying on a nearby table instead.

Southport-based Mentha and Halsall Shopfitters Ltd, of Linaker Street, admitted that it had breached the Provision and Use of Wok Equipment Regulations in an appearance at Southport’s North Sefton Magistrates’ Court recently. The firm was fined £3,000 and also ordered to pay a total of £3,498 in court costs as well.

According to official Government statistics, in 2010 alone more than four thousand manufacturing sector workers sustained serious personal injuries. Many of these workers would go on to make a work accident claim against their employers successfully.

No information was available regarding Mr Mawdsley’s plans, however; neither was it known if the injured manufacturing worker had sought legal advice in regards to his possible personal injury compensation case.